Derby Lane sold to new owners who may redevelop the 130-acre property

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Derby Lane sold to new owners who may redevelop the 130-acre property

Spanning 130 acres along Gandy Boulevard, the shuttered Derby Lane greyhound racetrack has a new owner. The St. Pete Kennel Club Inc., which owns the property, has merged with Connecticut-based Rally Acquisition Co.

“The goal is to develop the 130-acre site in a way that benefits the community, while continuing the strong performance of the club’s gaming operations,” said Scott Esterbrook, an attorney representing Rally Acquisition, in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, which first reported the news.

While specific redevelopment plans for the site at 10490 Gandy Boulevard North have not been disclosed, the new ownership recently secured a $58.25 million loan from Broadway Agency Services LLC.

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Five-story expansion planned for Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in downtown St. Pete

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Five-story expansion planned for Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in downtown St. Pete

The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, home to the world’s premier collection of art and objects from the American Arts and Crafts movement, is planning an expansion in downtown St. Pete.

The 137,000-square-foot museum at 355 4th Street North will construct a five-story, 11,300-square-foot addition connected to the existing museum, according to plans submitted to the City of St. Petersburg and obtained by St. Pete Rising.

The $10 million expansion, which will serve as added gallery space along the courtyard, has not yet received permit approval, and its design elements are still subject to change.

General contractor Barr & Barr Inc. will build the project, and Tampa-based Alfonso Architects, which also designed the original museum, has been hired to design the expansion.

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Massive 31-story twin-tower development to bring 824 apartments to downtown St. Pete

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Massive 31-story twin-tower development to bring 824 apartments to downtown St. Pete

The former headquarters of UPC Insurance in downtown St. Pete may soon be transformed into one of the city’s largest residential developments.

Plans were recently submitted to the City of St. Petersburg for a $225 million development consisting of two 31-story towers with 824 apartments and 35,800 square feet of retail space at 800 2nd Avenue South.

The existing 40,000-square-foot building, which has served as the temporary office of the Tampa Bay Rays since Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field, will be demolished to make way for the new development.

Proposed by St. Petersburg-based real estate firm Echelon, LLC, the project is being spearheaded by Cody LeClair, Senior Vice President of Development and his team at Echelon in conjunction with Tampa-based investment advisory firm Third Lake Partners—longtime collaborators on local developments.

If built, the towers would become the tallest structures west of 5th Street and the 10th tallest buildings overall in downtown St. Pete.

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Three St. Pete restaurants recognized by Michelin Guide, though none received stars

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Three St. Pete restaurants recognized by Michelin Guide, though none received stars

The Michelin Guide held its annual Florida ceremony last night in Orlando, where three St. Pete restaurants received recognition.

The guide, which first came to Florida in 2022, features restaurants known for exceptional culinary experiences, awarding up to three Michelin stars to those with outstanding cooking. It also honors establishments that serve excellent food at more affordable prices with the Bib Gourmand distinction.

This is the first year the Michelin Guide has considered restaurants from Pinellas County.

Four restaurants—located in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando—earned their first Michelin star this year, raising Florida’s total number of one-star restaurants to 29. Sorekara in Orlando received two stars, becoming the second restaurant in the state to achieve that honor.

Five Tampa restaurants held on to their coveted Michelin star.

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St. Pete approves $4.5M for affordable housing in 2,084-unit Sky Town development

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St. Pete approves $4.5M for affordable housing in 2,084-unit Sky Town development

One of the largest residential developments underway in St. Petersburg is set to receive local funding to support the inclusion of affordable housing.

On Thursday, the St. Pete City Council unanimously approved a $4.5 million contribution from the Housing Capital Improvement Fund for the first phase of Sky Town, a major mixed-use project planned for 3201 34th Street South in the Skyway Marina District.

This follows the Pinellas County Commission’s earlier unanimous decision to allocate $5.5 million to Coral Gables-based developer Altis Cardinal for the same phase of the project.

Originally planned as a fully market-rate development, the project now includes affordable housing thanks to a combined $10 million subsidy from the city and county.

Sky Town will be built in six phases and is set to include 2,084 apartments, 69,000 square feet of neighborhood retail anchored by a Sprouts Farmers Market, and 120,000 square feet of self-storage space.

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New local wine club Savoir on Central to open in the Grand Central District next month

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New local wine club Savoir on Central to open in the Grand Central District next month

From rolling vineyards around the world to luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants, every glass of wine tells a story—and now, a local sommelier and her team are bringing those stories to St. Petersburg’s wine lovers.

Sommelier Sharon Mahoney and her business partner, Christina Noordstar, are launching Savoir on Central, an upscale wine club offering educational classes, curated tastings, and exclusive wine selections.

Located at 2531 Central Avenue, the club will open in late May in the former Rasta Canna Bar space in the Grand Central District.

Open to the public and wine club members, Savoir on Central is designed to be welcoming to everyone—from curious beginners to seasoned connoisseurs.

“Savoir on Central is for both seasoned wine enthusiasts and those just discovering the art of wine,” said Noordstar, a longtime local entrepreneur. She first met Mahoney through the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete Class of 2019.

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City relaunches RFP process for new affordable housing development in west St. Pete

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City relaunches RFP process for new affordable housing development in west St. Pete

The City of St. Petersburg is once again seeking a development partner to transform a west St. Pete site into an affordable, for-sale townhome community.

Earlier this month, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting developers to submit plans for the redevelopment of a 5.24-acre property located at 7045 Burlington Avenue North.

The site was purchased by the city from St. Petersburg College in 2024 for $4.2 million, with the intent to construct 105 affordable housing units. As part of the purchase contract for the property, the City of St. Pete agreed to offer SPC students and faculty first right of refusal to purchase 30% of the new residential units.

The property currently features a two-story building on its southern end—formerly the Gibbs Wellness Center of St. Petersburg College—while the northern portion of the site remains vacant.

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

After suffering significant damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, a 10-story, 100-year-old building in downtown St. Pete is expected to be demolished and replaced with a boutique hotel.

Local entrepreneur and developer Steve Gianfilippo of Gianco Companies, who purchased the building at 300 Central Avenue in 2017, filed plans on Monday with the City of St. Pete for a 16-story hotel, named The Coronet, which will incorporate mid-century design elements reminiscent of the original structure.

The existing, vacant structure will undergo interim repairs while plans for the new hotel are being drawn up.

“In the seven years that I’ve owned the building, we’ve looked at a few different options,” said Gianfilippo in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “At first, we considered turning it into fully furnished apartments. But with thousands of new apartments already planned or built recently, we saw a larger opportunity to bring a new boutique hotel to downtown St. Pete.”

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HSN has listed its 65-acre property in north St. Pete

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HSN has listed its 65-acre property in north St. Pete

Spanning nearly 65 acres in Pinellas County and surrounded by some of the region’s largest employers, the long-time campus of the Home Shopping Network (HSN) is now officially on the market.

Commercial real estate firm CBRE is marketing the property at 2501 118th Avenue North for an undisclosed price. Zoned for commercial use, the site includes over 487,000 square feet of office and industrial space across nine buildings, developed between 1984 and 1994.

The listing follows a major announcement from HSN’s parent company, Qurate Retail Group, which is consolidating HSN and QVC operations into its Studio Park headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

As part of the move, Qurate will shutter the 369,000-square-foot St. Pete campus—its home for the past 47 years—and eliminate 730 local jobs beginning in late May.

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World’s largest 3D-printing facility opens in St. Pete, powered by AI and robots

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World’s largest 3D-printing facility opens in St. Pete, powered by AI and robots

Inside a 32,000-square-foot industrial facility north of St. Pete’s EDGE District, towering crane-like robots are 3D printing everything from chairs to cold plunge tubs—all using sustainable, recyclable materials.

Haddy, a 3D-printed furniture company powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, has officially opened its new micro-factory at 251 10th Street North. It is now the largest 3D-printing facility in the world.

"We will have micro-facilities all over the world," said CEO Jay Rogers during the April 10th grand opening, joined by partners from Siemens AG and CEAD, a Netherlands-based tech company revolutionizing large-scale composite manufacturing.

Rogers, a Marine Corps veteran, co-founded Haddy in 2022 with CTO Kyle Rowe. Before relocating, the company operated out of a 20,000-square-foot space in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District.

The new facility, formerly home to Mayflower Transit moving company, is owned by Rick Leonard—President of Bradenton-based Sunz Insurance—and Eastman Equity, run by prominent investor Jonathan Daou.

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